


Mad King

by SociallyUnacceptableOrb



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Genre: 4Kids Dub, And All The Mood Killing Jokes That Come With, Backstory, Body Horror, Deepest Apologies To You Very Confused Arthurian Mythos Fans, Dubious Morality, Gen, Immortals, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-11-12 23:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18020411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyUnacceptableOrb/pseuds/SociallyUnacceptableOrb
Summary: A lot can happen overnight, such as a coup d'eat.Now that Dedede is out of the castle and Sir Arthur is king, everyone's convinced that this a a bold new step forward into an era of peace. But Tiff and Kirby aren't so certain that this is as perfect as it seems. Sure, the Galaxy Soldier Army are the good guys... but why have they taken up residence in Dreamland? And why is Sir Galahad acting so strange?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact! This originally started off as a gijinka AU, with it's own lore, backstory, and history. Things got way too complicated with the Star Allies update tossing a good chunk of my ideas in the trash and frankly, I couldn't get the beginning and end to properly mesh together without it feeling either too rushed or too slow.
> 
> So, instead have some sad poyo backstories, Kingdom Hearts-level plot twists, and grey morality. Also, hi Arthurian AO3 tag! Hope you like these colorful talking circles!
> 
> A special thanks to [RadiantSeraphina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Arrowwood) for her beta reading as well as making me hypervigilant of my reliance on comma splices.

Meta Knight’s sabatons clicked against the marble floors of the castle as he marched, his squires in tow. The castle was quiet and peaceful as ever, but since he’d grown so used to his nightly routine, he found it best to indulge himself rather than to break the habit. As if justifying his paranoia, the sound of footsteps coming from the dungeons drew him away from Sword Knight and Blade Knight. He unsheathed Galaxia to face this new threat. But there was nothing and no one there; not even the holy light from his sword cast an unfamiliar shadow.

Curious. Maybe he’d just been hearing things.

Without warning, a gloved hand clapped over the area where his mouth was beneath his mask, and another pinned his arm to his back. The mystery assailant yanked him backwards and into an adjacent hallway without another sound, Sword and Blade none the wiser. The intruder removed his hand from his mask, only to pull an axe on him and angle it directly in his face.

“Scream, and I will toss you into the moat.” The husky voice, coupled with the thick French accent, was ringing a bell for the spherical swordsman, but he couldn’t quite recall where he’d heard it before. 

“Lancelot, let’s not get dramatic.” A drier, feminine voice replied, as if answering Meta Knight’s unspoken thoughts. “Besides, he’s one of us.” 

Meta Knight wrestled out of the other’s grasp and spun around to face the duo. Sirs Lancelot and Percival stood in the hallway, staring him down with their weapons drawn. Lancelot gave a throaty chuckle and placed his axe on his back, and Percival sheathed his dagger.

“What are you two doing here?” Meta Knight asked. “It’s not like you two to go it alone, especially not in a place like this. I trust Sir Arthur came along?”

“But of course,” Lancelot said. “If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be on this mission.”

“Mission?” Meta Knight cocked an eyebrow. 

“Our little  _coup d’état_.” Lancelot clarified. “King Dedede has loafed around this castle for too long! I’d say it’s time for some revolution.”

“But what for?” Meta Knight continued. “For what reason would the Star Warriors have to take the castle? I have no qualms with you dethroning the king, but I feel there's something else behind your actions.”

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Percival said. “We’ll try to tell you everything.”

* * *

 

Tiff peacefully drifted off to sleep despite the sound of marching footsteps outside her door. She’d assumed it was just the Waddle Dees, and while she was right, it wasn’t like them to crowd into the hallways with the fury of an invading army. Had she awakenedand attempted to check out the noise herself, she would have trapped by a massive steel bar keeping the door shut.

Kirby, oddly, was not asleep. In fact, he was bounding up to the castle doors and skipping across the lowered drawbridge with a look of pure innocent excitement. He’d been meaning to return a book to Tiff for a few days now and had just gotten around to it. Kirby loved it even though Tokkori had fallen asleep halfway through reading it to him the first night, and considering he’d nearly almost swallowed it by accident, or how he remembered the pictures better than the bulk of the actual text…

The wafting scent of food suddenly caught Kirby off guard, and he diverted his path from his friend’s room in order to locate the source of the lovely smell. In the Waddle Dee barracks was a massive cake, and the friendly little helpers were happily munching down on it, overseen by Captain Waddle Doo and a blonde-haired woman that resembled Lady Like. The resemblance threw Kirby for a loop, and he waddled up to the duo and gently placed the book down in front of them, tilting his head in confusion.

“Ah, Kirby!” the lady said. “What a stroke of luck, I was hoping that you could make it.” She warmly smiled and shook one of his nubs. “I’m sure you already know Sir Arthur, don’t you? My name is Guinevere. I’m a special friend of his.”

Kirby’s eyes darted between her and the cake, and Guinevere gently nudged him towards it.

“You can have as much as you’d like." She said. "Just make sure there’s enough for everyone.”

“Poyo!” Kirby happily squeaked and rushed over to the cake. 

She was a nice lady. She was a pretty lady. And she had food; what more was there that Kirby needed to trust?

“Kirby’s here, excellent!” Kit Cosmos loudly bellowed as he entered the room. “Hoped the little creampuff wouldn’t get locked out of the loop!”

“To be fair, I’m not sure if it would matter either way. He’s so young.” Guinevere opined. “But it does concern me a bit that these little… Dees are so easy to manipulate. I understand a child being strung along easily enough, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about these things.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it!” Kit Cosmos as he stared out at the swath of soldiers feasting away. “The dumb ones are easier to get on our side. It’ll just make Arthur’s plan go smoother for us.”

Guinvere nodded. “Here’s to hoping.”

* * *

 

Dedede and Escargoon ran for their lives. Three of their best knights had turned against them, none of the Waddle Dees were willing to fight back, and another three knights had appeared out of the blue to skewer them alive. Their only solace was the king’s moving throne, propelling them far, far away from the murderous sextet and into the throne room where the duo went face-to-face with Sir Arthur, Kit Cosmos, and an ocean of hostile Waddle Dees. They were well and duly cornered.

Escargoon screamed and shielded his face. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done! Please don’t hurt me!”

“The snail doesn’t matter!” Kit said. “He’s dead weight.”

“Exactly, I’m- excuse me?” Escargoon shouted, pulling his hands down. “Dead weight?!”

“Now, listen here, you!” Dedede yelled as he shoved Escargoon out of the way to look Arthur straight in the eyes. “You’d better call off your guards and gimme back mine before I whack you so hard, it’ll make your armor rattle!” 

“With all due respect, you’re outnumbered.” Sir Arthur said, motioning towards the angry coconut man and the well-swayed cronies. “Turn back now or be thrown in the dungeon for your crimes.”

“Huh? What crimes have I ever done?!” Dedede screamed in his face, angry spittle spraying out of his mouth and hitting the puffball’s helmet.

“Would you like the list numerically or alphabetically?” Escargoon whispered. A Waddle Dee jabbed at him as a warning, and he fell silent again with a cringe.

“This kingdom is no longer yours,” Wiping the flecks of saliva from his mask, Arthur stood his ground and retained a steely glare with Dedede as he spoke. “I suggest you yield and let a true leader show you how it’s done.”

Dedede scoffed, enraged that some outsider was daring to question his power, and stormed off into the darkness. Escargoon gulped quietly and slowly climbed down from the chair, taking a stand beside Kit Cosmos.  

“Well, that was the most peaceful end to a revolution I’ve ever seen.” Escargoon quipped.

The doors slammed open and the snail emitted another high-pitched scream, clinging to the old man in terror.

“Arthur, it seems we’ve got an outlier.” Lancelot announced as he stormed in holding an angry, squirming Tiff by the arm. Tuff, Lady Like, and Sir Ebrum all stood at the doorway, gently restrained by Meta Knight and his squires.

“Sir Arthur!” Tiff shouted, managing to wrest herself free from Lancelot’s grip and running over to the other knight. “What do you think you’re doing? I hate Dedede just as much as anybody else, but why do you suddenly care about Cappy Town?”

Sir Arthur shot a look at the Prime Minister’s exhausted family and took a deep, shaky breath. “I can’t tell you just yet. It’s too risky. But you have to know that I’m doing this to keep your planet… this galaxy safe.”

The sound of horns cut through the tense atmosphere like a hot knife through butter as Dedede plowed into Sir Arthur with his limousine.  While miraculously unharmed, the poor knight ended up unwillingly becoming his majesty’s new hood ornament as the limo sped through the throne room and over the castle wall, its driver cackling uncontrollably the whole way. The whole room was in silent surprise from Dedede’s sheer audacity. Only one knight dared say anything after the shock wore off.

“ _Quelle folie_ …” Lancelot muttered. “Your king has gone pineapples.”

And Dedede had - in fact - gone totally stark-raving cuckoo. At least that’s what Arthur gauged from the murderous glare in the tubby tyrant’s eyes, and the fact that even as he drove to and fro on a cobblestone street, Dededestill could find a way to lunge his hammer into Arthur’s face. The knight managed to jam his sword into the windshield to give himself a better chance but even then, his grip slipped as he tore a hole into the glass, leaving him with an even angrier king penguin to deal with.

“Dedede!” Arthur shouted through the bumps and curves of the road as he tried to hold on. “You don’t understand! This is all for the greater good!”

“You about to meet the greater good real soon!” Dedede shouted back and floored it. 

Kirby, who had been clinging onto the bumper for dear life prior, squirmed his way onto the folded sunroof and landed with a small squeak as Dedede continued to speed through the woods. The king did a double take at the sound of the noise, screeched in horror when he saw the invading puffball, and attempted to kick the tiny pink child away from him swerving all the way. Arthur took this as his chance and dove into the driver’s seat, bringing their brawl into the front seat as he and Dedede proceeded to beat the hell out of each other.

Being an infant, Kirby did his best to attempt and drive the car but ended up going at top speed straight on a pothole, launching both Arthur and he out of the limousine. The king’s coat had gotten stuck in the car door, nearly giving him a concussion as he jerked backwards into the hard steel frame. They were all square in the center of town, and a crowd of Cappies was already beginning to form, awakened by the noise.

“I… told ya…” The king’s speech came out slurred, and his expression certainly looked worse for wear. He gave a ragged laugh, and leaned up against the car after climbing out, breathing wildly. Both Star Warriors lay face down on the ground, in more pain than they’d hoped to be in that night. Dedede gave a massive grin as he glowered at the two. “Now who’s the rightful king?”

“Me.” Arthur’s voice darkly replied. 

Puling himself off the ground, he pulled out his sword, shimmering white with power. Thrusting it outwards, the Sword Beam hit Dedede’s car and cleanly bifurcated it. The penguin yelled, ducking for cover as the car exploded for the final time. The cappies stared in awe as Arthur helped Kirby back onto his feet, dusted him off and then looked at them.

“My dear friends, I can only apologize for turning a blind eye to your troubles for so long. You should not have had to toil under this buffoon’s dictations if I was more than capable of taking initiative. But, worry not.” Arthur began, taking off his helmet. “For I am here now to humbly claim my place as the protector of Dreamland.”

“Protector, nothing!” Dedede spat. “You threw me outta my own house! I’m the king! I’m the only king these lousy loafers ever did have! How’d you expect me to take this libel lying down?!”

“Libel? Libel?!” Arthur snapped, the annoyance in his tone audibly evident. He leapedatop the smoldering remains of the limousine to bring more attention to himself, as well as to gain a literal higher ground. “What kind of king lets his people suffer due to his selfish whims? And lies to them daily? I may not be infallible, but I am not an irredeemable monster like yourself!”

Dedede somehow got angrier, his teeth gritting to the point where one could hear the enamel tearing. “These Cappies know I’m their king! Ask anybody here and they’ll be on my side!”

“Very well,” The green knight looked out upon the crowd and extended his arm. “Tell me, which would you prefer to be your king? A spoiled brat who never learns from his mistakes, or a soldier who has done nothing but protect the innocents of this universe?”

The Cappies murmured among themselves, and even with Dedede’s usual naiveté, he knew he was beat. He sighed deeply and walked away, limping off into the woods, using his shattered hammer as a makeshift crutch. When he was well and duly out of earshot, the crowd broke into thunderous applause, lauding Arthur and disrespecting the fallen dictator.

“You showed that bully who’s the boss!”

“Dedede finally got what he deserved!”

“I never liked him anyway!”

“Three cheers for King Arthur!”

Kirby looked out at the sea of people and thought about how fast they’d pledged their loyalty. Sure, he knew they all thought Dedede was bad, but was it really that easy to change their minds?  Maybe Sir Arthur was a stronger leader than even Meta Knight said he was! But even then… this still felt off.

Turning his gaze to the gold-armoredknight, he made brief eye contact with an interrogating squeak. “Poyo?”

Arthur responded with a brisk nod, then leapt down from the twisted metal of the old king’s car and returned to his castle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, was not expecting so much positive feedback on something so niche (and admittedly self-indulgent). Thanks a bunch, guys! Here's a long overdue chapter. I hope I didn't spread it too thick that Galahad's a nice guy.

Tiff sat on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard and watched a group of Waddle Dees carry out idols of Dedede, tossing them all into a great pile. A second group of Waddle Dees were taking sledgehammers to the various effigies and obliterating them into dust. The last time that they’d done anything like this was when the heartless king had starved them just to save a quick buck. And sure, he’d completely had it coming, no denying that. But the revolution he'd unintentionally spurred put her parents in peril as well, and the alternative ‘solution’ he’d bought from Nightmare Enterprises had put them in just as much trouble.

Everything had worked out in the end, as it usually did, and the proceeding weeks followed the same routine. Maybe that was why what had happened last night felt so wrong; were this any other scheme that Dedede had cooked up, he’d get the upper hand for a second, Kirby would best him and everything would snap back to normal like a rubber band. But Dedede was gone now, and apparently for good.

She didn’t miss him – Tiff never could miss him in a million years – rather, she missed his presence around the castle. An excessively big, incredibly stupid, very threatening presence that she’d grown so familiar with. And now that it wasn’t in her life anymore, she felt lost without it. Tiff could best compare it to the sensation of a stuffy nose during a long cold; irritating and painful though the whole event, but once you felt better, you still needed some time to get used to breathing again.

It was then that she heard the telltale sound of footsteps tapping against cobblestone, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Tiff,” Meta Knight said. “We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” She said matter-of-factly, refusing to turn around. “I saw what happened with my own eyes. You don’t have to make up excuses.”

“I am not excusing my actions, Tiff!” Meta Knight scolded. “Yes, I disagree with how Arthur chose to go about this, but what he’s done is necessary. If you would just let me explain-!”

“Then explain already!” Tiff shouted. She turned around and Meta Knight could see that she’d been crying; her glassy red eyes and the bags underneath weren’t a pretty sight. Tiff breathed in sharply as she continued.

“This is crazy; I’ve got no idea what to think anymore! The Star Warriors just barged into the castle and took over without another word! And you didn’t even try and warn us about it, you just went along with them!” Tiff sniffled and rubbed her eyes before choking out, “I just thought you were better than that.”

“Tiff,” Meta Knight sighed deeply and sat down next to her. “It’s understandable that you’re scared, confused, angry... and I’m more than willing to let you take it out on me. But the reason that all of this was done, as cruel as it may be, was to prepare the castle for the arrival of another Star Warrior.”

“So, what?” Tiff asked, rubbing her eyes. “What does that matter?”

“His name is Sir Galahad. He is known as the purest knight, the paragon of chivalry, the kindest Star Warrior that has and will ever be,” Meta Knight elaborated. “We could not have Dedede here; something could have, and probably would have, gone horribly awry with the king around. So, he had to leave to make room for Galahad. Consider it a bit of… eh, spring cleaning.”

“What makes Sir Galahad so special?” Tiff asked again, her sadness replaced by curiosity. “I’ve never heard of him before.”

“That isn’t important,” Meta Knight said, shoving himself off the fountain’s edge. He wrapped himself back up in his cape. “What’s important to know is that he is staying here for a short while. He and the rest of the Star Warriors will stay here as well, but they won’t be staying forever. Your mother and father will become the rulers of Dreamland, and all will return to normal. You shouldn’t worry about it.”

And with that, Meta Knight turned on his heel and walked back into the castle. Putting her hands on her hips as she watched him leave, Tiff huffed in frustration.

“Normal, huh?” she asked no one in particular. “Normal to _who_?”

* * *

Sir Galahad flipped the map in his hands for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. He could’ve sworn he’d been going the right way an hour ago, but he’d ended up right back here. He was positive he’d taken the right map, too; there weren’t any other planets with the same topography as Popstar for lightyears around. He wondered to himself if he should’ve just taken his ship right to the castle… but then, he wasn’t quite sure if he remembered the exact coordinates. Looking up from his map, he noticed two creatures in front of a forked pathway marked by a tree: a sleeping hamster and an owl. What luck! He quickly bound up to the woodland duo with a wide smile.

 _“Salut, Monsieur Owl!_  And greetings to you too, little hamster! My name is Sir Galahad,” the knight cheerfully announced, pulling his mask aside. “Do either of you happen to know how to get to Cappy Town from here?”

The hamster snorted a bit as he awoke and pulled himself up. Rubbing his eyes, he groggily replied with, “Mister Owl was my father’s name. You can call me Rick.”

“And my name is Coo,” The owl said, looking down with disdain at his sleepy companion. “You wouldn’t happen to be a Star Warrior, would you? We seem to be overrun with them as of late.”

“I’m sorry, I hope I’m not bothering or overwhelming you,” Galahad apologized. He gestured to the map in his hands and brought it closer to them. “It’s just that I think there is something wrong with this map. Perhaps it’s making me go around and around in circles. Have a look.”

“Oh, I see the problem,” Rick said, as he tapped the map with a fuzzy paw. “The ink’s all smudged! You must’ve been through one burl of a rainstorm to mess it up this badly. See, that red patch is supposed to be a pond, and this black line’s a pathway. From here, all you’ve got to do is follow the spot where the trees look like they’re covering the road, and then take a left. Got it?”

Galahad squinted at the paper, and then gasped as the realization hit him. “Ah, yes! I understand it now! _Merci,_ little hamster! I’ll be seeing you, hopefully!”

With that, he bounded onwards. Coo turned to Rick and said, “I’m not sure why, but he reminds me a bit of Kirby.”

Rick looked between the owl and the knight and replied, “I dunno, mate. Kirby’s pink, but he’s not _that_ pink! And that’s a nasty scar that the other blokes got, but Kirby could bounce back from getting hit with a cannonball.”

“Mm, not quite what I meant.” Coo murmured as he watched Galahad try to pick an apple off a tree and accidentally bring down the entire branch onto his head. “At least this one seems to be a little more aware of his surroundings.”

Galahad continued into town, rubbing the bump on his head with one hand and holding the apple he’d gotten with the other. He walked down the pathway, taking in the warm summer air and beautiful scenery. Lush green fields dotted with tiny white flowers, apple trees that stretched a welcome canopy above the road and babbling brooks that sparkled with crystal-clear water helped to ease the knight’s pain. He stopped walking and took a moment to sit and watch a flock of sheep grazing in a modest pasture, contentedly sighing as he did so. He noticed something out the corner of his eye; a section of the fence was higher than the rest. Surely if one of them bumped into it, they’d all escape!

Galahad quickly went over to the offending area, grunting as he tried to push the stakes back into the ground. The shepherd watching the flock noticed the knight and first eyed him with confusion, only to suddenly realize what he was doing and jolt into action. He sped to the stakes himself and aided the knight in shoving them down until the fence was back in shape.

“Gosh, that was a close one,” the shepherd said. “I was wondering how so many of them were getting out. Thanks a bunch!”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Galahad reassured him. “In fact, I think I should be thanking you. You’re the one that’s been taking care of these sweet creatures, haven’t you? Here, have this!”

Galahad handed the shepherd the apple, and before he could argue, the knight was on his way towards the town again.

Cappy Town was a quiet little village, nothing at all like he’d expected. Perhaps a guild with many other knights waiting inside, or a bustling marketplace full of all sorts of exotic spices and animals, but no. It was an average town in every sense of the word, and just as peaceful as the countryside that surrounded it. The spiny-spired castle, which sat atop a hill and a mile out of the village, looked downright alien in comparison. His trek towards his destination wasn’t helped by the hushed whispers by the townsfolk, wondering who he was, where he’d come from, why he wasn’t there last night for the siege, if he was single…

Wait, a siege?

Galahad hadn’t been informed of a siege, at least not one enacted by the Galaxy Soldier Army. Maybe they were helping the residents of Cappy Town regroup after a regent’s demise? But the town looked so tranquil if it had been recently attacked, and the castle – foreboding as it was – didn’t look any worse for wear. He shrugged off the feeling and reassured himself that everything would be explained once he’d arrived.

Surrounding the castle were an assortment of Dees sounding off with trumpets as he strode down the pathway leading to the gate. In front of the castle were Sir Ebrum, his wife Lady Like, and their daughter Tiff. It was a weird sort of sensation seeing the girl again; after all, the first time they’d ‘met’ was when they were in the final battle against Nightmare. He could see it took a moment for Tiff to recognize him without his mask on, but she curtsied anyways as her father took his hand and firmly shook it.

“Sir Galahad,” Sir Ebrum said. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Thanks a bunch!” Galahad began, but his eyes darted to two certain somebodies standing behind the couple. Galahad had been going over in his head on what to say, but he froze upon seeing Sirs Arthur and Lancelot standing close behind them.  He cleared his throat and started over with, “ _Merci beaucoup, monsieur._  I feel the same. Thank you all kindly for letting me stay here.”

“You’re quite welcome… I think.” Sir Ebrum said. “Well, enough chit-chat for right now. We can talk all about you and your exploits over dinner.”

“Dinner?” Galahad asked, a nervous edge to his voice. “Tonight?”

“Right. My father,” Galahad mumbled, and briefly looked towards Lancelot again. He cleared his throat and asked, “Actually, would it be alright if we postpone the dinner to tomorrow night? I am quite full, and it would be rude for me to refuse something that the Waddle Dees lovingly made. Besides, I’m sure the little ones need a big rest after… yesterday. Thank you once more for your hospitality.”

Galahad briskly bowed and joined the other two knights, and Lady Like sighed wistfully.

“My! He’s such a polite young man, isn’t he?” she asked aloud.

“Indeed, my pet,” Sir Ebrum agreed. “And so very thoughtful!”

As Galahad entered the castle with the two, he could see Tiff visibly shake her head and roll her eyes as he briefly looked back. Something was beginning to feel off about this, and not just from that one interaction. The Waddle Dees were busy tearing the walls apart, removing moulding and statues that resembled whom he could only assume was their previous king and obliterating them. There was even a bonfire in the courtyard where they tossed pictures and flags with his emblem and face in it.

Clearing his throat, Galahad spoke up again. “So… I overheard in the village that there had been a siege recently. I never thought as place as lovely as this had even been through war before.”

 “Yes,” Arthur nonchalantly said. “It happened just last night. His majesty was incapacitated and removed from the castle premises to make room for us.”

“Wait, what?” Galahad cried, stopping dead in his tracks. “You destroyed their ruler just so we could live in his castle?!”

“No, no! King Dedede is very much alive, Galahad!” Arthur explained, throwing his hands in front of himself and gesturing for Galahad to back down. “He’s fine! He’s just… on an extended vacation, so to speak.”

“That isn’t much better. You threw him out of his own home!” Galahad said. “That’s horrible! Surely he couldn’t have been that bad of a king.”

“He tried to severely injure children multiple times, worked directly with Nightmare, tortured his subjects for his own sick amusement, and forced the Waddle Dees into being his eternal servants.” Lancelot bluntly replied, counting off the offenses on his fingers. “And after all, it’s always polite to take out the trash before you have company, isn’t it?”

“Oh,” Galahad said. “Well, I guess if he really was that bad… but, still. I guess it just doesn’t feel right to stay in this castle. Isn’t it hypocritical for us to rule in his place?”

“We’re not staying forever, Galahad,” Arthur explained. “Only until the galactic crisis is resolved; after that, we’ll give the castle to the prime minister and his family, and they can do as they please with it. I’m not proud enough to admit that I’d make for a terrible king for the Cappies.”

“Hah! You’d be a terrible king anywhere, _mon Capitan.”_ Lancelot quipped. “The entire town would burst into flames!”

Lancelot chortled, unminding Arthur’s steely glare. Galahad rubbed his forearms, visibly uncomfortable with the current situation as they continued down the hall. They made it up to the former King’s rom, but before either of them could get another word in, Galahad quickly went inside and slammed the door. He felt bad for being so rude, but the knight needed some time alone to clear his head. And by the sound of retreating footsteps outside, they’d been decent enough to respect his decision.

He looked around the room, seeing that unlike all the others in the castle, it had been wholly untouched. There was still a thin layer of dust atop the furniture and picture frames, and the amount of penguin paraphernalia was wholly intact. Not even the television set had been removed or even unplugged. Galahad breathed in deep and crawled onto the overtly fluffy four-poster bed in the center of the room. He barely had time to doze off when he heard the door slowly creak open.

“Please, I don’t want to talk any more. I just want to rest.” Galahad moaned. He exaggeratedly tossed his arm over his eyes in hope that whoever had tried to enter would get the picture.

“Poyo!” came the reply.

At the sound of the babyish voice, Galahad pulled his arm off his face and rolled over on his belly to face the speaker. It was Kirby, looking up at him with a confused glint in his eyes. Kirby toddled over to the bed and attempted to pull himself up to the top by yanking on the comforter. Galahad gave him a little smile and gently assisted the child up, Kirby giving an annoyed chirp in response. Now that Kirby was on equal ground with the other pink puffball, he blinked twice and then pointed at the sword in his sheath.

“Oh? My sword?” Galahad asked. Kirby shook his head, and then pointed at the mask that was still resting on the side of his face. “Are you asking if I’m a knight?”

Kirby nodded and said, “Poyo.”

“Well, yes! I most certainly am,” Galahad said, putting his mask back on properly. “And you’re the savior of the galaxy. Frankly, I hadn’t realized you were so… little. You looked a lot bigger on the screen!”

Galahad gave a gentle chuckle as Kirby continued to stare at him. “But I guess it’s good that you managed to defeat Nightmare, as scary as it might have been. Now you have the rest of your life to have as much as you’d like! You’re a very brave boy, Kirby. I don’t know if I would have been able to do the same at your age.”

“Poyo.” Kirby said.

The thought of this kid – no, this baby – not being allowed a peaceful childhood made Galahad feel a bit guilty. It was the job of the adult Star Warriors to slay monsters, and even though it was truly exemplary that he’d managed to not only decimate an entire company and its entire fleet, it should never heave been his fight to begin with. He shifted on the sheets, not sure where to take the conversation from there.

“You… seem to be confused. I guess that makes two of us.” Galahad began. “Tell you what, tomorrow morning we can do whatever you’d like, and then at tomorrow’s dinner, I’ll let you have anything you’d like! I’m sure nobody will mind!”

Kirby smiled widely and embraced him. Galahad laughed again and returned the hug.

“Well, _that_ certainly got your attention!”


End file.
